Cheryl E. Leonard is a composer, performer, and instrument builder who creates instruments from unusual raw materials—everything from glass shards and pinecones to glaciers and box springs. This interview took place at the Exploratorium on October 10, 2013, just prior to her performance of Selections from Antarctica: Music from the Ice with Phillip Greelief.

Cheryl E. Leonard is a composer, performer, and instrument builder who creates instruments from unusual raw materials—everything from glass shards and pinecones to glaciers and box springs. Here she performs Selections from Antarctica: Music from the Ice with Phillip Greelief, as part of the Exploratorium’s Resonance series.

Ezra Daly explains how he makes musical instruments out of car and motorcycle parts, then plays his Frankenbass, created from a Moto Guzzi motorcycle gas tank, a chrome tailpipe, and scrap mahogany. Next, Doc Popular (aka Brian Roberts) shows how he creates instruments by circuit-bending toys. Doc--not just an inventor and a video editor but a yo-yo champion as well--will also demonstrate some yo-yo tricks.

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